LONDON, Feb 23 - The UK does not anticipate that U.S. President Donald Trump’s newly announced 15% global tariff will affect the bulk of the bilateral economic deal agreed with the United States last year, a spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday.
The spokesman said Britain’s trade minister, Peter Kyle, had held a conversation with Jamieson Greer, the U.S. trade representative, to raise concerns about the uncertainty the announcement could create for businesses operating between the two countries.
The statement followed a U.S. Supreme Court decision on Friday that struck down prior elements of Trump’s global tariffs and a subsequent move by the U.S. president to reintroduce levies across the board. The spokesman noted that Starmer’s government had previously negotiated a lower reciprocal tariff level of 10% as part of the deal reached with the U.S. last year, and that Trump’s stated intent to impose a 15% tariff could expose some firms to higher duties than those agreed.
Officials expect talks between British and U.S. counterparts to continue this week as they seek further clarification, the spokesman added, and he did not rule out the possibility of retaliatory duties. "We don’t expect this ruling to impact the majority of trade" under the UK-U.S. economic deal, he said, specifically citing tariffs agreed on steel, pharmaceuticals and cars.
Analysis from the think tank Global Trade Alert was cited by the spokesman, indicating that Britain will be among the countries most affected by the U.S. announcement, while Brazil, China and India are assessed as the largest potential beneficiaries from the change in U.S. tariff policy.
The spokesman also said that businesses did not want "to see a trade war", but added that "nothing is off the table at this stage" as ministers consider their options.
For sectors focused on tangible production and supply-chain dynamics, the dispute highlights immediate areas of attention. Steel, pharmaceuticals and autos were specifically mentioned as covered by tariff commitments in the bilateral agreement, and firms in those industries will be watching the ongoing discussions closely for confirmation that agreed duties remain in place.